St Andrew's Episcopal Church
On The Island of Martha’s Vineyard
PO Box 1287
Edgartown MA 02539
Corner of Winter St. and North Summer St.
On The Island of Martha’s Vineyard
PO Box 1287
Edgartown MA 02539
Corner of Winter St. and North Summer St.
The Reverend Rita Teschner Powell comes to St. Andrews with over 17 years of ordained ministry. She served in the Diocese of South Dakota (where she was ordained) as both Vicar of a small congregation in Vermillion, and youth and young adult ministry leader for the diocese, caring for the church camp in the Black Hills, and helping create a prayer event with the Taizé community in France on the PIne Ridge Indian Reservation in 2013. This was followed by time as an associate at Trinity Church in Copley Square, where she focused on evangelism, music, and liturgy. Most recently, she has served as the Episcopal Chaplain at Harvard, where she led a small community in creative expressions of liturgy and theology, as well as developing and implementing a contemplative walking tour engaging the Legacy of Slavery and Colonization at Harvard. She recently earned her MFA in Poetry with Scott Cairns at Seattle-Pacific University, and her first book of poetry is set to be published this fall. She is also a certified yoga teacher, a distance athlete, and a good cook. She is married to Justin Beebe, and has two children in high school, Jackson and Juliet.
Robert Lehman, Organist
Rob Lehman left full-time church music in 2021, retired to the Vineyard, and joined the staff of St. Andrew’s as organist in 2024. His career took him to Washington, D.C., New York City, New Haven, Conn., and St. Louis over the span of more than 45 years. He and his wife, Allison, love living on the island, the St. Andrew’s parish community, and the realization of a lifelong dream – retiring to New England and the seacoast life where they live with Auburn the cat.
Heather Anne Slayton, Office Administrator
Heather Anne Slayton has been an active member of St. Andrew’s Church since 1996, serving in many various ministries over the years. In 2001, she established the first Nursery at St. Andrew’s in the newly constructed Parish House and went on to serve in that ministry for almost twenty years.
In 2008 she accepted the job of Parish Administrator.
She is dedicated to her two grown boys, Jack and Willson, her large extended family, her friends, her church family and her island community.
Sara Barrington, Parish Life Coordinator
Sara Barrington and her husband, William, moved to Martha’s Vineyard eight years ago, when their oldest was one and their second was on the way. What began as a “two-year trial” quickly became home; they now have three children—William (9), Edward (7), and Jane (5)—and Edward and Jane were baptized at St. Andrew’s.
A cradle Episcopalian born in North Carolina, Sara spent much of her childhood visiting family in South Dartmouth, Massachusetts, and always felt drawn to coastal New England. After graduating from UNC–Chapel Hill, she moved north and worked as an Early Intervention Developmental Specialist, where she later met William.
In addition to her Parish Life role, Sara is the Program Coordinator for the MV Family Center and also creates wire and beaded jewelry sold at seasonal and summer markets. She is grateful for the love and welcoming support of her St. Andrew’s community, which played a large part in the decision to stay and raise their family here.
